Detours to the solution: A workshop on almost-useless interactions
Always just tapping, clicking, scrolling? Digital media often follows the same patterns and quickly becomes repetitive. But what if you could scroll through your newsfeed with toilet paper or click a mouse with your slippers? In this workshop, we’ll take apart an ordinary computer mouse and transform it into absurd and charming prototypes.
Inspired by the Japanese art of Chindogu – almost-useless inventions that offer absurd solutions to everyday problems – you’ll build and tinker with your own digital interfaces. These prototypes don’t need to be practical or marketable, but playful, surprising, and inspiring.
Day 1 – Anatomy of a Mouse
You’ll be introduced to the idea of Chindogu and the concept of bricolage. Then you’ll take a closer look at the computer mouse: taking it apart, exploring its “innards,” and experimenting with ways to repurpose its parts. Using simple materials, you’ll develop your first prototypes that connect the body and everyday objects to digital interaction.
Day 2 – Anything Can Be an Interface
On the second day, it’s all about hands-on making. You can bring your own objects and transform them into new digital interactions. Together, we’ll invent quirky interfaces and create prototypes that highlight the humor and creativity in combining material, body, and technology.
This workshop isn’t about perfection – it’s about curiosity, humor, and a touch of anarchy. It’s open to adults who enjoy taking things apart and putting them back together in unexpected ways. The workshop takes place over two Sundays: 02.11. and 09.11.2025.
The workshop takes place as part of Christoph Schneider’s master’s research in the Digital Ideation program at HSLU. As a research assistant, he explores haptic and physical interfaces, questions the dominance of touchscreens, and advocates for “bringing back the buttons.” His work spans augmented reality, visual storytelling, and 3D modeling in Blender.